La Grande Nation strays from the straight and narrow

Bird hunting and trapping in France

Song thrush killed in a Tendelle. In 1989 the French government has authorized again bird trapping in the country While in the rest of Europe the minimum standards for protection of migrating birds laid down by the EU are increasingly respected, 1.3 million French hunters and bird trappers bitterly oppose any limitation of the right of every citizen’s to hunt[2], granted during the French Revolution. Bird trapping, spring hunting of returning migrants, even hunting during the breeding season – these rights are taken for granted even today in many French Départements.

Although the main problem is the continued trapping of birds[3] on a massive scale in the Ardennes and the South of France, the survival of many species such as Skylark, Lapwing and Ortolan Bunting are also increasingly threatened. Grilled song birds in "gin flambé" are still considered an autumn delicacy, even by top French politicians.

Hunter: in France bird hunting and trapping is a beloved and widespread traditionWith the support of the European Parliament and the European Commission, conservationists from all over Europe want to force the government in Paris to incorporate the EU bird protection guidelines, valid since 1981, into national legislation. France’s environmental movement also shows noticeably more courage in stating their case and wins increasing support; whilst the number of registered hunters has slowly but surely declined for years.

CABS bird protection efforts in France are directed against the still legal trapping of birds in many regions of France. Our efforts are concentrated primarily on on-site monitoring and recording of the situation, selective protest campaigns and lobby work in Brussels.